Pinellas County Animal Services has added the Petco Love Lost tool to its Found Center website to reunite pets with their families. This platform scans uploaded pictures for unique features, comparing them against a national database.
The American Veterinary Medical Association notes that millions of dogs and cats go missing or get stolen in the U.S. each year. To tackle this, Petco Love Lost uses artificial intelligence to enhance reunification. Jennifer Renner, Pinellas County Animal Services director, mentioned, “We’re always looking for more tools to put in our toolkit to help pets get home first and foremost,” Renner said to St. Pete Catalyst.
Since introducing the platform, the county’s reunion rate for dogs has increased from 40% to 50%. The national rate is lower. Renner commented, “Normally, we’re seeing about a 40 percent return rate for dogs, and in the Petco Love Lost system, currently we’re at a 50 percent return on animals that are uploaded into that system.”…